The Flames of Change
by SuperKirbyLand234
Summary: Katherine has run away from her foster since her mother had died. She finds herself in Gatlin where she becomes inducted into the cult of children living in the cornfield. Katherine has had nightmares of the fields burning and the children dying. Can these dreams actually be visions of the future? (On hold until I finished The Kitsune Warrior and Millennium Element).
1. Chapter 1

(Disclaimer: I do not own Children of the Corn, I only own my OC. All credit goes to the original creator Stephen King, please support the official release).

(Side Note: This whole story is only going to be ten chapters long. Also it's in the first person POV, specifically my OC character's POV. Thank you).

Chapter 1: The Dreams

My name is Katherine, Katherine Elizabeth James; long name I know, that's probably why my mother used to call me "Kitty", it was probably easier to say...or remember. I'm only eleven years old and I'm turning twelve in just two weeks, but I have no one to celebrate my birthday with. I'm an orphan; my mother died of cancer when I was eight and around that same time, my father had disappeared. Now, I'm all alone.

I was put into a foster home after that, but it was a living Hell for me; my foster mother had three other children and they were all such ungrateful brats. I was forced to take of them while she would always go out and gamble; the other children would push me around and never appreciated the nice things I would do for them. What's worse, is that they always made of the color of my hair; it was white as snow and had one single streak of red going through it. My parents never understood why it was like that, but they didn't care because they loved me regardless, unlike my foster family.

One night is when I decided I had had enough of their bullcrap! After I had made corn on the cob for dinner, I took four cobs and wrapped them in foil. I placed them in a knapsack along with a change of clothes, a sleeping bag, a bible and an old teddy bear my mother had given me; aside from the thick pink sweater I always wear, the one she made for me, that bear was all I had left of her. As I snuck out the window, I was stopped by Alex, my foster brother. "What are you doing, freak? Trying to run away, cause Mama will beat the living Hell out of you if you do", he said.

Ever since I was little, I had always had a timid attitude and I've never been able to muster the courage to give him a comeback. Still, I was about to run away, so I at least gave it a try. "Yeah I am, Alex and you can't stop me. And I don't care if you tell Mama because she isn't my mother, and I don't deserve to be here! So...goodbye forever, I hope you all go to...Hell!", I said as I finally leapt out the window and ran down the long road, leaving Hemmingford behind me. Not once did I ever looked back, not once!

It was late at night, almost midnight, when I finally lost the energy to keep on running. I stood on the lonely road that sat between two corn fields; I decided to camp out inside one the fields for the night. I pulled out my corn and decided to eat one; they were my favorite vegetable and loved when Mom would boil some for me or barbecue it during summer break. Mom...I missed her, so much that I had just noticed I was crying as I took bites out of my cob.

Each bite reminded me of her awesome home-cooked meals, how she treated every dish she made as a work of art. I remember how on days when I'd come from school depressed because I was constantly mocked at for my hair color, she would always make a great meal for me with corn as a side dish; I even got dessert too. I also remember how she'd comfort me when I had nightmares, and how we'd have a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter's night.

I missed my mother so much that I found it difficult to sleep out in that corn field without her coming to give me a goodnight kiss, but my body decided otherwise. I was too exhausted, so I tossed my eaten corn cob across the field and slid into my sleeping bag. It didn't take long before I fell asleep, my sleeping bag and my thick sweater were the only things keeping me warm amongst the corn stalks.

I thought that since now I had gotten away from my foster family I could finally sleep peacefully, but I was wrong. I had the same nightmare I've been having since I was six; I stood in the middle of a burning corn field as I hear the horribly painful screams of children all around me. I saw one boy standing in front of me, the same one I always see; a boy who looked older than me with reddish orange hair. As always, I tried to reach out to him, but we're both pulled down into a pool of blood before I could grab his outstretched hand.

I awoke with a start, as usual, my heart was beating rapidly and I was sweating like a trapped pig. I finally calmed down and laid back in my sleeping bag; I've never been able to understand the meaning of my dreams, all I knew was how scary and real they seemed. I let myself drift off again, barely feeling a pair of arms that grabbed my sleeping bag and dragged me through the corn field. In all honesty, I was far too exhausted to really notice anything at that point.

For some reason, I felt terribly cold even though I was wrapped in a warm blanket. Wait...blanket? Wasn't I sleeping inside a sleeping bag? I sat up and saw that I was lying in an old-fashioned bed with a large quilt on my lap. I tried to make sense of what was happening, but I could hardly think with the pounding headache I had. I placed a hand to my head and I realized...I had a fever! No wonder I felt cold while under a blanket.

I stood up, while mentally cursing myself for doing so as I was really dizzy, and left the room I was in; I walked through the hall of this mysterious house while the front door suddenly opened. I panicked, so I simply decided to let whoever was coming in see me. A boy shorter than me wearing a suit, a girl with brown hair and a boy with reddish orange hair walked inside, immediately spotting me. I stood rigid and scared, my body was shaking from fear and my feverish trembling.

The smaller boy walked towards me and took my hand in his gently, "I see you have finally awoken, Katherine. Good to see you're doing well", he said with a smile. His voice so smooth and calming that it made me stop trembling in fear, but I still trembled due to my fever; still, I was pretty confused as to how he knew my name. The girl walked towards me and placed her hand upon my forehead, "She is not doing well, Isaac. It seems she has a slight fever, if it alright with you I'd like to help take care of her", she said.

The other boy, the one with the reddish orange hair, stepped towards us. I immediately noticed how familiar he was: he was the boy I was trying to save in my dreams, only right now he looked less scared and more angry. "What's the point of healing an Outlander? We should offer her to Him right now, Isaac", he said. His voice terrified me, he sounded like he wanted me dead. The small boy, Issac, ignored him and simply looked at me again, "How old are you, my child?", he asked. For some reason, despite not knowing this Isaac kid, I felt like I could trust him. "I'm eleven years old, but I'm turning twelve in another week", I said.

Isaac smiled at me and then turned his attention towards the tall boy, "She is one us, despite the fact that she is an Outlander. If she chooses to join us in worshipping Him, then she will be spared. Learn your place, Malachai, for I am the one who decides based on His word", he said. I was still confused as to what he was talking about, so I decided to ask him. "Excuse me, but where am I? And what do you mean join you and worship "Him"? Are you all part of a religious group or something?", I asked.

Isaac smiled once more as he spoke, "Yes, you could say we are. We live amongst the field and pray to our lord, He Who Walks Behind The Rows. He speaks through me, he protects and guides us and we show our respects by honoring him with a sacrifice of the flesh of the old". I was in awe by what he had explained, it sounded like they were very serious about their religion. I mean, I'm pretty religious myself; my Mom and I used to go to church every Sunday. It was his last statement that caught me by surprise, "Wait, by 'sacrifice of the flesh of the old', do you mean that you offer adults as human sacrifices to this He Who Walks Behind The Rows?", I said a little surprised that I didn't sound scared while saying it.

Isaac gave me another genuine smile and said, "Yes indeed, young Katherine. It was said that when he appears, a child shall lead his followers. You my child, have the option to either join us or be offered to Him". I was so scared right now that I could've started crying, but I held myself together. Despite my timid nature, I tried to be brave in certain situations. If I could stand up to Alex, then I could handle anything else I was afraid of.

I took a deep breath and looked towards Isaac, "I'll join you. I don't really have anywhere to go and...I don't want to...die", I said hesitantly. Isaac smiled at me again and said, "He shall allow this, your initiation will be held in three days. Perhaps by then, you will have recovered; until then, I give Rachael permission to take care of you. I assure you that in due time, you will understand our way of life in the corn". I felt relieved that I would be allowed to live, even if this new life will take some getting used to, it can't be any worse than living with my foster family.

I swayed a little as my headache suddenly came back. The girl, Rachael, pressed her hand to my forehead, but then quickly withdrew it. "Oh my, your fever has become more intense. Come upstairs with me, I'll give you some medicine", she said. She led me in the direction of the stairs, but I couldn't shake the feeling of dread I felt around that Malachai kid. He just sent shivers down my spine, and I felt as though he was giving me the death glare as I walked away. I was finally able to calm down once I reached the room and laid back down.

Rachael opened a bottle of strange looking liquid and poured it onto a spoon for me to take. It took it and I nearly gagged it was so terrible, it tasted burnt rubber or expired mint flavored candy. "I'm sorry if it tastes really bad, but it'll help bring down you fever", Rachael said sympathetically. I gave her a weak smile and said, "It's okay, Rachael. To tell the truth, I'd rather be given terrible tasting medicine than not be given medicine at all. Whenever I got sick, my foster mother just told me to get over it and made me do all the work around the house despite having a cold. I would sometimes have to sneak some medicine without her noticing if I wanted to get better. It's just one of the things I had to deal with after I lost my mother, the only person I had left that cared about me".

I looked at Rachael and saw that she was almost close to tears from hearing what I had to go through. I wondered to myself: if Isaac said that we must sacrifice adults to He Who Walks Behind The Rows, did Rachael and all the other kids sacrifice their parents, too? I thought about how conflicted I would've felt if I was told to sacrifice my mother to please God, thankfully she was already dead and it was cancer that took her, not me. I began to feel drowsy, I guess that was what the medicine was supposed to do. Before I fell out, I asked Rachael one more question. "Rachael, what's with that Malachai boy? Why does he look at me as though he wants to kill me? Please tell me Isaac won't let him do it if he tries", I said as I grew scared.

Rachael smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry about Malachai, he always acts that way with newcomers to our order. Even after your initiation ceremony, he is probably going to keep referring to you as an Outlander. I wouldn't be too afraid of him though, even if he can be quite intimidating; Isaac is our leader and Malachai had to obey his word, for Isaac's word is that of He Who Walks Behind The Rows. In time, I'm sure Malachai will warm up to you. In the meantime, you lie down and get some rest; once you feel better, I can help you get better suited to living here".

I laid under the covers as the medicine's drowsy effects started to come on, Rachael stop just near the door before turning towards me. "Oh and one more thing: Isaac wanted me to inform you that he has changed your name to Keturah, I know it seems strange but he said "Katherine" wasn't a holy name for you if you are going to join us. Well, sleep well...Keturah, and welcome", she said as she left. Wow...Keturah? That is the only thing I may never get used to while I live here because even though they are all going to call me that, I'll still be Katherine or even "Kitty" on the inside. It didn't seem so bad, though; it felt like my life was starting over.

My slate was wiped clean and I was given a new identity, and no matter how weird or even twisted this all seemed, I will learn to accept this place as my new home and these kids as my new family. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, and to my surprise, I slept peacefully. I didn't dream of my abusive foster mother, my ungrateful and spoiled foster siblings, the pain I felt after my mother's death or even the burning corn fields and screaming children. For once, I smiled in my sleep because I dreamt of nothing at all.

~~Author's Note~~

There's the first chapter of my first fanfic for one of my favorite horror movies. I will soon be back to bring you chapter 2, and I know what your thinking. The dreams do have a meaning, but rather than explaining, I'll let you tell me your opinions in your reviews. Until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out!


	2. Chapter 2

(Disclaimer: I do not own Children of the Corn, I only own my OC. All credit goes to the original creator Stephen King, please support the official release).

Chapter 2: The Introductions

I let out a small groan as I woke up, my fever had gone down but I still had a bit of a headache. I sat up slowly as I yawned, stretching my arms out above my head. I looked around and saw I was still in an old-fashioned bed in an old house. "Oh yeah that's right: I ran away from my foster home, I ended up in Gatlin, and in about two days, I'm going to be initiated into a cult of religious children who worship a God in the cornfields. Heh heh, if it wasn't for the fact that I can totally feel the bed sheets under me, I'd swear this was all just a fever dream", I said to myself. I slowly climbed out of bed and I was surprised to see that my strength came back, even my headache was starting to die down.

I smiled to myself as I thought yesterday, "At least there are some of the children who seem nice, like Isaac and Rachael. I just hope everyone else will welcome me with the same enthusiasm as them, especially Malachai. Rachael said he wouldn't try to harm me, but I'm not taking any chances with him. It's best if I just stay out of his way", I said. I walked down the hall to the bathroom to wash my face and use the toilet; afterwards, I walked outside to look around my new home. There wasn't much to see, except cornfields, but I liked corn so it wasn't at all unsettling.

I then heard a strange noise coming from the house next the one I woke up in, it sounded like music. I entered the house and walked upstairs, the sound grew louder with each step; the door of a room was opened, so I peered inside. I saw two little kids, a boy and a girl, playing a board game while a record player played music behind them. Rachael said I'd have to get better acquainted with everyone if I want them to accept me, so I'd best start with these little ones. I pushed the door open further and stepped inside.

The kids stopped playing and looked at me fearfully, they looked like they thought I was going to hurt them. I smiled at them as I bent down to there level, "Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm new around here, my name is Katherine...well, actually it's Keturah now. Isaac did say I had to change my name, what are your names and why are you two playing up here without anyone else?", I said. The little boy moved closer to me as he spoke, "My name is Job, and this is my sister Sarah. We're playing up here cause we're not supposed to be playing or hearing music; Isaac said it's not part of His will and if Malachai catches us, we'll be in a lot of trouble".

I felt sorry for them, they weren't allowed to play games or hear music or do anything fun; then I began to feel sorry for myself because I knew this feeling from personal experience. Then I decided to help them out, "Well we can play up here together and no one will ever have to know", I said with a wink.

Job and Sarah smiled as I sat on the floor between them; we started playing a game of Monopoly, I chose to play as my favorite piece: the man on the horse. It was my favorite because horses are my favorite animals. "I have to warn you two, I'm a bit of an expert at Monopoly, so don't be upset if you don't win", I said jokingly.

The kids laughed as I rolled the dice and move my piece five spaces, but before I could pick up a card, a machete appeared out of nowhere and lodged itself into the board, barely missing my fingers. Job and Sarah cower behind me as I look up, and that's when I felt all the blood drain out of my face. Standing in the doorway was Malachai, looking down at me with the scariest glare I'd ever seen.

I felt a chill run up my spine as he stared at me, it felt like everything around us had vanished and the only thing that remained were us. Finally, I decided to break the silence, "Um...what...are you...doing here...Malachai?", I asked. I was sincerely hoping my question didn't spite him, the last thing I needed right now was to be killed by this boy.

"Rachael sent me to come get you, but you weren't in the house. I went looking for you and I found you in here, so come on. I'll escort you too where she's waiting", he said. I still didn't want to be anywhere near this guy, but if Rachael wanted to talk to me I guess it was okay. I stood up and walked towards him, looking back at Job and Sarah who sat there with worried expressions. I guess they were just as scared of Malachai as I was, and they were worried about my safety.

He reached down to grab his machete and tucked it back into his belt as I followed him outside. All the while I had a sick feeling in my stomach, I was sure that he was going to try something on me and I'd have no way of defending myself. We reached the house where Rachael was sitting on the porch, holding what looked like an Amish style brown dress. "There you are, I was wondering where you were", she said. I quickly walked away from Malachai towards her as I said, "Sorry, I was with Job and Sarah in that other house over there".

Rachael smiled as she led me into the house, I sighed with relief knowing that I wouldn't have to spend another second being near Malachai. Once upstairs, she gave me the dress. "You'll need to change out of your clothes and wear this, it might seem odd, but it's part of our way of life", she said. I took off my sweater, t-shirt and jeans, and I threw the dress on. It seemed like a perfect fit, even if the sleeves were a bit too short. I stared sadly at my pink sweater, thinking that I would have to forever part ways with my beloved keepsake, but Rachael surprised me by picking it up and pulling it over my head. "Isaac said this is the only thing from your previous life that you are allowed to keep", she said.

So that meant I'd have to say goodbye to Huggles, my teddy bear, but I'm okay with it. As long as I still have the sweater Mom made for me, I'll be just fine. "And now that you're wearing the proper clothes, it's time for us to head out to the fields. Isaac is giving one of his sermons, and we shouldn't be late", said Rachael. I let her practically drag me outside towards an open space in the cornfield, where I saw several other children sitting on the grass. Rachael led me to an empty spot where we could sit together; I looked around at most of the other children; some smiled and waved to me, so I decided to smile and wave back. Others just gave me a passing glance before looking forward as Isaac walked into the open area; in his hand, he held what looked like a cross made of corn husks.

He looked my way and smiled at me, once again I felt a lot happier to see him. Everything became very quiet as Isaac began to speak, he spoke of He Who Walks Behind the Rows, of how our shall watch over and protect us so long as we appease him; I have to say, even though their religion sounded a little scary, it's also very interesting. Then Isaac said something that caught me off guard, "The Lord has brought us a newcomer to welcome among us, she is a very unusual child", he said. Everyone's eyes immediately fell on me, and I couldn't be more nervous; Isaac looked at me as if to say 'stand up and introduce yourself', so I stood up and tried my best not to fumble my words. "Hello everyone, my name is Kat...uh, Keturah. I do not know much about your way of life, but I plan on making it my business to learn. I will worship He Who Walks Behind the Rows just as you do, and I hope you all will accept me after I'm initiated", I said.

Surprisingly, all of the children smiled at me; it was as though they all welcomed me simultaneously, well...all of them except Malachai, but I guess I was expecting that. Isaac smiled at me and instructed me to sit back down as he continued to preach. I felt so lost in what he was saying, as if I had become more and more acquainted with The Lord the more he spoke. After it was over, Rachael pulled me aside and said, "Come with me, there are some of the children I want you to meet". I let her drag me along because I did want to be accepted by everyone here; she led me to a barn where a few older kids were sitting around and talking, there were two boys and two girls all the same age as Rachael. "Keturah, I'd like you to meet Amos, Ruth, Hannah, and Joseph", she said.

I smile politely and shook their hands, but for some reason I felt as though Ruth seemed a little off; she only gave me one glance before looking away, I guess she's just as shy as I was. That's when I noticed that Hannah's stomach looked kinda big, like almost as big as a basketball. "Excuse me I don't mean to be rude, but...are you pregnant?", I asked. She smiled and said, "Yes I am, about six months actually. Joseph is my husband and the father of my child". Now that struck me as surprising, Hannah looked like she was only sixteen and yet she's married AND is having a baby? Well, to be honest she's not the first teen mother I've met; there was this named Susan who lived next door to me back in Hemmingford, you know back when my Mom was still alive.

She was my only real friend and we would always hang out together; one day, she came over while my Mom was at the supermarket. She told me that she had accidentally slept with her boyfriend, Roderick, and he got her pregnant; she said she was gonna run away from home and made me swear not to tell anyone about what happened to her or where she was going. Of course I agreed to keep my mouth shut because she was my best friend, and after that I never saw her again.

Hannah reminded me of her, except the only difference was she isn't going to leave me, at least I hope not. "Um, can...can I...?", I was having trouble with my words again. Sometimes I just wish I could trade away my timid personality for something a little more useful, like be able to talk without the words dying on my tongue; however, Hannah seemed to know what I was going to ask and grabbed my hand, placing it on her stomach. I could feel her baby moving around under my hand, it felt almost unreal to me. I blushed a little in embarrassment when I heard my stomach growl, and I just realized how hungry I was.

Everyone laughed as we walked over to another part of the barn to eat; everybody was eating corn, but that didn't bother me at all. If I have to live in a field growing one of my favorite vegetables, then I'm perfectly okay with eating all the time; it is a good source of fiber and it's very healthy. As long as nobody tries to get me to eat any spinach or eggplants, I'll be fine because I hate both of those vegetables with a burning passion. Why? Well because they're just gross.

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Job and Sarah, they were happy to see that Malachai hadn't tried to hurt me. We secretly played more board games like Monopoly and then we decided to draw for a while. I looked at some of Sarah's drawings and saw that one of them was a stick figure of a girl with white and red hair sleeping in the cornfield, it only took me a minute to realize that stick figure was me. Sarah saw me looking at the drawing and said, "I have a gift, I can see the future. I made drawings about everything I saw was going to happen", she showed me more drawings depicting the children killing the adults and destroying all the technology like radios, televisions and phones, "This picture I drew because I had a vision of coming here. I saw you sleeping in the cornfield". I was shocked by that, she was a psychic and she knew I was coming here even before I knew I was coming here. Wait, did that I was like...

I looked at Job and Sarah with serious eyes as I said, "I'm gonna tell you two a secret, you have to swear not to tell anyone about this until I'm ready to tell it myself. Since I was six years old, I've had this terrible nightmare every night, and even to this day I still have it. I dream about the cornfields burning because someone set it on fire and everyone here dying because of it. I don't know what it means, maybe they're future visions, too but I don't want anyone to know about until I can figure out what they mean. You two have to pinkie promise not to tell anyone about this ever". I held out both my pinkie fingers to them and they looped theirs around mine. "We promise we won't tell anyone, Kitty", said Job. I smiled when he called me by the same nickname my Mom called me, only these two knew my nickname and only they were allowed to secretly call me by it.

That night, I was in my room of my new house; I laid on my bed reading passages from the new bible Rachael gave me, the same one everyone else here reads. Tomorrow was my initiation ceremony and next week Wednesday was my birthday, I couldn't believe I was turning twelve and now I had people to celebrate it with. Of course, I knew there wouldn't be a big party or anyone singing the 'Happy Birthday' song, or any chocolate ice cream cake, but I'm alright with it because having people to celebrate your birthday without all the party stuff was better than having the party stuff and NOT having anyone to celebrate it with. I heard my door creaked open and I looked up to see Malachai standing in the doorway; once again I was scared to see him, but this time I decided to swallow my fears and just talk to him once.

I stood up and walked slowly towards him, "Look Malachai, I know you don't like me and quite frankly I don't that Ruth girl really does either, but I'm trying to be nice here. Everyone else here has been so kind and welcoming towards me: Isaac is kind and wise, Rachael is like the older sister I wish I had, and Job and Sarah are like the younger brother and sister I wish I had. You don't know about the misery I went through back in Hemmingford: I don't know where my Dad went when he left me, my Mom died from pancreatic cancer, and my foster family are nothing but a bunch of selfish dilweeds that I wish would crawl into a dark hole and die. I'm not asking to like me Malachai, but can you at least show me some level of kindness?", I said. It was quiet for a while before he reached his hand up to my face, I immediately flinched as I braced myself for a slap to the face, but I didn't get one.

Instead, he laid his hand gently on my face and used his thumb to wipe away tears I hadn't realized I was crying. "You're still an Outlander to me, but I guess you're not that bad. Also, you and I might have more in common than you think. Now get some sleep, your initiation is tomorrow and maybe...just maybe, I'll start calling you by your name. Goodnight", he said with a smirk as he walked away. I was confused, but I didn't question it. I was just glad to know he wasn't going to try to snuff me out anytime soon; I walked back to bed and bookmarked the page I'd been reading in the bible. Setting it down on the bedside table, I turned off the light and laid down as I drifted off to sleep.

~~Author's Note~~

And that's chapter 2, sorry for the long wait on updates. I'll try to keep those to a minimum. Anyway, come back soon for Chapter 3 and don't forget to review. Until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out!


	3. Chapter 3

(Disclaimer: I do not own Children of the Corn; all credit goes to the original creator Stephen King. Please support the official release).

Chapter 3: He Speaks to Me

I woke up the next morning feeling a little excited; probably because today was the day of my initiation ceremony. Today, I'll officially become a member of the cult…wow, I never thought I'd be excited about that but I was. Anyway, after bathing and getting dressed, I decided to go outside for some fresh air. I walked around until my gazed stopped on something I only had a quick glimpse of the day before: the decaying skeleton hanging on a cross in the middle of the field.

I had asked Issac what that was and he explained that it was "The Blue Man", one of the cult's earliest of adult human sacrifices; it intrigued me because I wonder who that guy was, judging from the blue outfit he was either a policeman or a mailman. I wish I could know about the practices of the cult, which is why I'm looking forward to my initiation; maybe after I become a member, their ways will finally become clear to me.

I jumped as I felt a hand suddenly fall on my shoulder; I turned around fast and saw that it was Malachai holding a plate of corn and having a smug grin plastered on his face. "What's the matter? Did I scare you?" he asked with a laugh. I grunted at him, and then went to go sit on the grass; he followed me and sat down next to me. I may have been starting to trust him, but that didn't mean he wasn't still a jerk; I did take the corn from him anyway because I was hungry.

"So, are you ready for you initiation later this evening?" he asked. I put down my breakfast and turned towards him, "Malachai, I have to say that…I'm both excited and scared about it. I mean, what does the ceremony involve anyway?" I said. He looked away from me for a second, took a deep breath and then turned back around, "They're going to cut a pentagram into your chest. Then the blood that flows from your wound will be collected in a bowl and passed around so everyone can drink from it. It'll be over when the bowl comes back to you and you drink from it as well", he said.

I felt my body run cold, I hadn't even considered what the ceremony involved and now that I know, I'm terrified. Malachai must have seen me shaking because I felt him put his arm around me and pulled me close. "Hey, don't be so scared. In all honesty, it doesn't hurt that much and when it's over, you'll no longer be an outlander. Look, normally Rachelle is the one who performs the task, but…I asked Issac if I could do it. You and Rachelle have become great friends and I thought you'd be uncomfortable if she was the one cutting you; I hope you won't back down…I mean, if you did then we'd have to sacrifice to He Who Walks Behind the Rows", he said.

As scared as I was, Malachai's words comforted me; he was going to be the one to perform the ceremony on me as a way to ease my fears. I grabbed onto to him and hugged him, "Malachai, why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" I asked. He looked at me and gave me a genuine smile, "It's because you remind me of myself. I used to be afraid of all this because I never really understood it. Then I learned to adjust and well…these other kids sort of became my family, I protect them and I care about them. I only treated you like that because I'm worried that any Outlander who comes into our midst will cause harm to my family, but you're different. You're special and I like that about you; soon you'll be one of us, and…I'll have a new little sister", he said as he got up and walked away.

I needed a minute to process that: he mistreated me only because he didn't trust me, but know that he does he called me his "little sister". I started shedding tears of joy, I looked at him as he walked away and whispered, "Thank you, Malachai".

The evening came sooner than I thought, but it was a pretty uneventful afternoon; all I did throughout most of the day was read the bible or play with Job and Sarah. Now I stood in the backroom of the church as everyone gathered and sat in the pews; I had disrobed until I was only wearing my training bra and underwear. You know, I'm only now noticing how clean and tidy the church looks compared to every other building in Gatlin, but to be fair this is a church and this is a religious cult so it makes sense.

Rachelle came and walked me outside until I was standing on the stage in the front of the room; man, did I feel embarrassed at having to stand in front of everyone while being almost naked. Issac stepped into the open to address everyone, "My children, hear me! Tonight, a new child shall join us in our mission to worship and serve He Who Walks Behind the Rows. She will bleed for us and we shall drink her blood from the bowl!" he said excitedly.

Malachai grabbed a knife from Rachelle and walked in front of me, "I'm sorry, but this is going to really hurt. Just grit your teeth and try to bear it until it's over", he said with a sad smile. I bit my bottom lip and braced myself as he plunged the knife into my sensitive skin and began carving a pentagram into my flesh. I didn't scream, but I could feel the rivers of tears forcing their way out of my tightly closed eyelids; this was the worst physical pain I've ever felt, even worse than all those time my foster mother slapped me in the face.

Finally, Malachai stopped and placed the knife of a table. He then picked up a bowl made from little dried corn kernels and placed it under my wound; the blood flowed into it until it almost reached the top, he grabbed a nearby towel and pressed it into my open wound. "Keep this here and put pressure so the bleeding will stop", he whispered. I did as he said as he drank my blood, and then passed it to Rachelle, who passed it to Issac, who passed it to everyone else. I watched as my blood was passed around and drank by everyone like it was communal wine.

The bowl came back to Malachai as he held it to my lips so I could drink; my blood tasted bitter sweet and metallic, kind of like dark chocolate if it was mixed with shards of iron. He put the empty bowl down and turned to Issac who address the crowd, "My children, let us all welcome young Keturah into our order. I have confidence that she'll serve Him well", he said. I swelled with happiness as the children cheered; for once I was surrounded by people who cared about me. As I was about to step off the stage, something happened. I felt a terrible stabbing pain in my heart as though it was being ripped out; I coughed up some blood as my eyes rolled to the back of my head, Malachai caught me before I fell, but I had already passed out.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was surrounded by nothing but darkness. I was lying on the ground, but I couldn't move; it was as if I was paralyzed from my head to my toes. Suddenly, I heard a loud grumbling noise and then I came face-to-face with a pair of blood red eyes. I was scared but I couldn't run away or even look away, " **Don't be afraid, my dear child. You should know who I am so this shouldn't surprise you** ", said a deep menacing voice. I soon realized who it was that I was talking to, "You, you're…He Who Walks Behind the Rows! What do want with me? Are you going to…kill me?" I asked pleadingly. He chuckled darkly as I felt a clawed hand caress my head, " **Why would I kill the only one who can speak to me besides Issac? Why would I inflict harm upon the child who is supposed to save me? Listen to me Katherine, or Keturah, the dreams you have had are really omens. Someone amongst you is plotting to destroy me by burning the cornfields, if that happens I will cease to exist. Let the dreams be your guide; find out who is plotting to destroy me and tell Issac, he will deal with the traitor. Now, return to the real world, my child. You need to rest and recover** " he said.

Suddenly, I felt my body surge as I awoke in my room; my chest was bandaged and the quilt was draped over my still half naked body. I thought about what He Who Walks Behind the Rows told me: someone in the cult wanted him dead and my dreams are actually visions about it happening, he wants me to focus on them and find out who is going to set fire to the cornfields. When I do, I'd have to tell Issac and that person will probably be sacrificed.

I felt another hand caress my head, but I was happy to see it was Malachai. "Hey…what…what happened to me?" I asked weakly. "You had a seizure after the ceremony was over; Rachelle and I hurriedly rushed you back to the house and patched you up, Issac wouldn't been furious with us if we let you die, but I'll tell him you're alright and just need some rest", he said. My eyelids grew heavy as Malachai continued to gently caress my head, the motions were lulling me. "Malachai…thank you…" I said as I finally drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

~Author's Note~

Well here's Chapter 3, sorry about the long wait but I'm in college so you have to understand my struggles to get these in. Anyway, tune in next time for Chapter 4 and find out what Katherine will do now that she has spoken with He Who Walks Behind the Rows and must now carry out his dark task. Until next time, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out!


	4. Chapter 4

(See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer)

Chapter 4: My First Sacrifice

I spent the next few days bedridden since the night of my initiation ceremony, that seizure I had took a heavy toll on my body and for a while I was too weak to move. It wasn't so bad because Rachel and Malachai were there to take care of me; in fact, today was the first time in four days that I was finally out of bed and walking around outside. It felt good to breathe in fresh air again after so long. The sky was clear and sunny that morning; everyone was walking around because Issac had just finished giving his daily morning sermon, I guess I missed it. Speaking of Issac, he approached me with a warm smile upon his face. "Good morning, Keturah. I see you have finally healed, and at a good time too. Now that you have been initiated, you will need to prove yourself to our Lord by performing a sacrifice", he said.

I was only slightly surprised by this, I kind of already knew that I would have to sacrifice someone to He Who Walks Behind the Rows at some point, but there was one part that I was confused by. "Wait Issac, if I have to sacrifice someone, who is it supposed to be? There isn't any adults left in the town at all", I said. Issac smiled knowingly and said, "That is simple: when you are ready, the Lord will send to you an adult with which you shall tribute onto to him. It will show your loyalty to him and that you're willing to do anything to please him. Now go and enjoy yourself, you've been bedridden for too long and you need the exercise".

I nodded and walked off to find Job and Sarah; for a second, I peered down my sweater and saw the scarred pentagram on my chest. It didn't look as bad as I thought, but it still made me queasy so I stopped looking at it. As I passed by the large barn, I swear I saw Ruth standing in the doorway watching me, but when I turned around, she was gone. _Must've been my imagination_ , I thought. Speaking of imagination, I thought back to my dream when I passed out. He Who Walks Behind the Rows told me that my dreams were actually visions about someone amongst the children was planning to burn down the corn fields and if the fields burnt down then he would be destroyed. "Hey Keturah, do you want to play catch with us?" asked Job holding a baseball. I smiled and followed him and Sarah into a open part of the field.

After that, I helped Rachel patching some of the other children's clothes as well as planting more corn seeds in the emptier parts of the fields. Then I went to go help Malachai harvest some of the already ripe corn cobs; my relationship with Malachai was beginning to grow stronger since my initiation, but that's not say that he still ins't a total jerk. Well, not like he used to be, he was more like a jerky big brother; that was to be expected since he considered all the other children as his family and he did call me his little sister. I felt a bump on my back and turned around to see Malachai hacking at the corn cobs while pretending to act like he didn't tap me, I giggled and rolled my eyes as I piled the cut cobs into a basket. We carried them back to the large barn where we cleaned them and then gave to some of the older girls to prepare them for lunch. Malachai ruffled my hair before walking away, giving me a friendly smile. _I swear he is such a giant goofball_ , I thought.

Later that same afternoon, I was lying on the ground looking up at the sky as a few fluffy clouds floated by; I hated to admit it but even if I was beginning to enjoy living here, it didn't change the fact that Gatlin was a pretty boring. I stood up and started walking through the corn field aimlessly, I just needed something to do; its not my fault if I get bored so easily, it just happens to me. Stood at the edge of the field, staring off into the field on the other side of the road. "Ugh, I know that we're not supposed to have T.V., but I really would kill to at least watch the news", I said. All of a sudden, I heard a weird sound; it almost sounded like a car engine. I looked down the road and actually saw a car coming, and not just any car, it was a beige station wagon.

I knew that car anywhere, it was my stepmother's car; I was suddenly overtaken by fear and anxiety, I turned and ran before bumping into Issac. I let out a shriek and fell onto my butt, "I...Issac, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to go wondering off...I just", I rambled on before he silenced me by lifting his hand. He peered through the corn and saw my stepmother's car coming closer, and he smirked almost wickedly. "I shall forgive for wondering unsupervised into the corn fields because you have found your tribute to the Lord", he said, "I shall instruct Malachai to capture your tribute, but remember: you alone will sacrifice the tribute".

He helped me up and instructed me to go to the barn because that's where they'll keep my "tribute" locked up until later tonight. I sat in silence, feeling a bit scared and even guilty because I was caught out in the fields by myself and I didn't even know that was a rule which is why I was frightened. Suddenly I heard the sound of someone struggling, I looked up and saw Malachai and some of the older boys locking my stepmother inside a cage built into the wall before walking away. Once we were alone, I approached her. "Well well, if it isn't the lazy good-for-nothing brat who decided to skip town. You know, I did have the cops go looking for you, but they gave up after they couldn't find you. Well, now you can tell me what Hell is going on, where I am and get me outta here and back to my car so we can leave. And when we get home, I'm gonna lock you in the basement until you learn how to behave; then I might consider letting you back upstairs", she said.

My fear suddenly evaporated and was replaced with undeniable anger; I reached my hand through the bars and slapped her across the face, startling her and even causing her eyes to tear up. I could feel my lips turn up in a smile, a happy smile; seeing her cower in fear, looking at me with those pleading eyes made feel stronger, more powerful. I then decided to scare her even more by taking off my sweater and pulling down the front of my dress to show her my pentagram mark; I took delight in the look of horror on her face.

"Take a good look, Patricia and yes I'm calling you by your name and not 'Mom' because you are not my mother, you never were my mother and you will never be my mother. I left the Hell hole of a home you built for me and found something better here Gatlin. I have a new home and a new family, and together we pray to our god, He Who Walks Behind the Rows. And tonight, I'm going to prove my undying loyalty to him when I sacrifice you to him; so enjoy the last few hours you have because I'm going to relish your death", I said as I went back to where I was sitting before and decided to take a nap.

Three hours later...

"Awaken, Keturah. It is time". I woke up to see Issac standing over me; he helped me up and led me outside where everyone was standing around a giant cross made of corn husks lying on the ground, and tied to it was my...no, the woman who tried to make me her personal servant and now I was going to make her suffer for it. As I walked towards her, Issac handed me a knife and a few corn husks; he didn't say what I had to do with them, he just assumed I knew what I should do. And truth be told, I did. I stood over her, looking into her face which was twisted in both fear and anger. "Katherine, what is going on here? Look, if you let me go, I'll...let you have you own room at home. You won't have do chores anymore, I'll have Alex do all of them from now on. Come on, I'll give you anything you what", she pleaded.

I laughed out loud before I swiped the knife across her arm, making her scream before I shoved the corn husks into her mouth; I looked at her with almost evil glee, "What I want is to _**kill you**_ , and that is just what I'm going to do", I snarled. And then, let's just say, I really went all out. I struck out with the knife, slashing her all across her arms, legs, hands, feet, and even face. I was smiling and crying at the same time, I had never felt more satisfaction than I did when I was cutting her up. That's when I heard a voice in my head.

 _ **Good my child, finish her off. Stab her in the heart so that I may devour her soul!**_

It was He Who Walks Behind the Rows talking to me again, this time telling me to finally kill her already. Honestly I wanted to drag this out as long as possible, but I knew he was waiting for his 'meal' and I didn't have the right to make him wait. I looked at her and whispered, "Goodbye b #$!" And I finally plunged the knife into her chest. The children all cheer behind me and after Issac commanded it, they all helped me stand the cross up next to the Blue Man. "Beautifully done my dear Keturah. He is very pleased with you and He sees how loyal and devoted you are; now, go clean yourself up and rest. You deserve it" said Issac. I felt both happy and sleepy, so I decided to go back to my house to clean myself up and go to bed; on my way back, I bumped into Ruth. She didn't seem the least bit happy, in fact she looked scared and angry. She walked up to me and whispered in my ear, "You have taken the first step on the road to your demise, I pray that you'll realize the evil at work here before its too late", she said. I stood there, wondering what she meant or what that had to do with me.

~Author's Note: I finally got to update this, but don't expect updates every so often because lately I've been suffering from Writer's Block and it has been a real pain in my butt. Please enjoy this chapter and hope I can get around to updating this as well as my other stories in the future. Until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out.


	5. Chapter 5

See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer

Chapter 5: The 'Ruth' is Revealed

I tossed and turned in my bed as I was once again bombarded by that terrible nightmare about the burning cornfields; I thought I'd be able to sleep soundly that night considering I had sacrificed my stepmother and was absolutely ecstatic about it.

I wasn't going to lie, I felt no remorse whatsoever for taking her life, nor did I take into consideration that now that she was dead, my adopted siblings were left to die as well. Then again, I couldn't care less about what happened to them; as far as I was concern, they were all dead to me the minute they called me 'freak'.

Getting to the point, the nightmare seemed out of place in the midst of my happiness. That's when I remembered that He Who Walks Behind the Rows told me that the nightmares are actually visions of someone conspiring to burn down the cornfield and if that happened he would cease to exist.

So I was tasked by him to let the nightmares unfold so I could identify the traitor and tell Issac. So I stopped trying to fight it and let the dream consume my thoughts as I tried to focus on it.

In the dream, I once again stood in the field as it was burning down all around me except this time time seemed to be slowed down a bit so I could make everything out more clearly. This time, I could see the children as they ran for their lives, some of them perishing in the fire while others were being attacked by some unseen creature. That's when I saw the silhouette of a person standing a few feet ahead of me. Trying to dodge the chaos, I walked towards the person so I could see their face clearly.

As I got closer, I noticed the silhouette was shaped like a girl and she was a bit taller than me. I was almost in front of the mysterious girl, I was about to see her face when I felt my consciousness being pulled back to reality.

My eyes snapped open as I woke up, almost smacking my forehead into Racheal's. "Oh I'm sorry, it's just I came to wake you up for breakfast and for Issac's next sermon. Well...I'll just leave you to get ready and I'll meet you outside", she said apologetically.

As she left, I silently growled in frustration. "Damn it, Racheal! I know you mean well, but I was so close; a little further and I would've seen the one who plans to burn the fields", I whispered. Well, since I was woken up I decided to go into the bathroom to get ready.

After I finished, I walked outside to see Racheal standing there looking at me with a wide smile; I didn't need a mirror to know that I wasn't smiling back. I loved Racheal to death, but He Who Walks Behind the Rows gave me an objective and she's making it really hard to do that.

We had breakfast and then walked over to the open field where Issac began giving his sermon. It was the same thing as before about our God and all that but to be honest I wasn't listening, I was trying to see if I could remember who the girl in my dream was but the images just kept coming in all hazy.

"Hey you alright? You don't seem like yourself this morning", said Malachai who sat next to me. I nodded and gave him a half smile, I hadn't realized just how tired I was and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep so I could solve this mystery and never have to worry about it.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Ruth giving me a sideways glance from across the field. Last night she had approached me and said I had taken a step towards evil or something; at the time I was too angry, too happy and too exhausted to even care what she had to say. I had also thought to myself that if she knew the kind of woman my stepmother was, she'd reconsider who she thought was evil.

The sermon ended so I decided to head back to the house to see if I could try to fall back asleep and decipher my dream. I did fall asleep but to my ever growing disappointment I didn't have any dreams; I woke up two and a half hours later, completely frustrated that I still didn't have any answers. "I'm sorry, He Who Walks Behind the Rows. I'm trying, I really am but nothing is adding up. I never thought it would be so hard just to dream", I said.

I got up and decided to walk around for a bit to loosen up my muscles and get some fresh air, that's when I bumped into Job and Sarah; they were playing catch in the open field so I figured I would play with them for a while.

Anything to de-stress my mind, I thought I'll try to solve this problem later, right now I should just relax and have fun with my "little brother and sister". As we played I once again saw Ruth staring at me from the corner of my eye and this time rather than just be confused, I was annoyed.

You how there's always that one weirdo in a restaurant that just awkwardly stares at you while their waiting for their food to show up, that was Ruth right now and for the love of God, I was getting tired of it. "I'm sorry, Job and Sarah. I have to...do something, you just keep playing without me", I said. They continued to play while I walked over to the barn where I saw her go into; when I walked inside, she was standing near some crates.

"Ruth, what is your problem with me? Why is it that every time I look at you, you're always giving me this glare? Did I do something to you?", I asked. That's when she began laughing with the sarcastic sounding laugh, it almost sent a chill down my spine.

"Oh Keturah, you didn't do anything. My problem is how blind and naive you are to the truth: all of this, this whole place is just one big death camp. He Who Walks Behind the Rows is not a God, but a demon who wants nothing more than devour us all; we are nothing but slaves to his whim with Issac acting as translator because he can't materialize in our world.

"Let me ask you something: children are his followers right? Well what do you think happens to us children when we turn nineteen? Don't answer because I'll tell you: we die; when one of us turns nineteen, we are no longer a child and then we must walk out into the cornfield and wait for Him to claim us. I've seen it happen several times before; oh and you want to know something really funny?

"Your friends Malachai, Racheal and Hannah: they're all very close; Racheal and Hannah are seventeen and Malachai is about to turn eighteen next month, not to mention that in three days Joseph, Hannah's husband, will be nineteen.

"And he will be forced to walk out into the fields where He Who Walks Behind the Rows will claim his soul as his own. And Hannah won't be that far off, and her baby will then be forced to grow up never knowing his/her parents. You and all the much younger children are lucky enough to have so many years ahead of you before it's your time to go.

"You've got seven years, I've got four years and Job and Sarah have nine and eleven years. We will live longer while the older children will eventually die and we'll the ones raising the new children who will be born.

"You think Hannah is the only older girl whose pregnant, no there are at least three others and guess what? When we turn sixteen, Issac will force us to marry and have intercourse with two other boys; then we'll be forced to birth more children into this hellish nightmare of a life.

"I refuse to be a part of this life any longer and I know a way we can be saved", she ranted. That's when my mind finally clicked, it was her! Ruth was the one who planned to burn the cornfield down and maybe she somehow knew that I was having visions about it.

Everything she said in her rant sounded terrible, but I resfused to believe any of it. "Its you! You're the one who plans to burn down the fields!", I said. She suddenly looked at me with a mixture of anger and surprise, "How...how did you find out about my plans? I've kept them to myself to ensure that I'd carry it out without anyone interfering!", she said.

I suddenly felt stronger and more confident than I've ever felt in my life, "Ever since I was six years old, I've the same recurring nightmare over and over again. In my dream, I'm standing in the middle of the cornfield as it burns down all around me, the screams of the other children pilfer through the air as they all die.

"After my initiation ceremony, He Who Walks Behind the Rows came to me and said that these dreams were actually visions, just like the visions Sarah has had. He told me that I needed to find who was planning to destroy the cornfield and stop them because if the field was destroyed then so was he. And now that I know it's you, I'm going to tell Issac", I said.

Suddenly Ruth lunged at me, wrapped her hand around my throats and pinned me up against the wall. Her grip tightened with each passing second as I coughed and gagged, "Oh no you won't! I'll make sure you won't tell Issac anything; once I do away with you, I'll burn this field down to the ground. I'll be the one to save us all from this horror!", she said. White spots began to dance in front of my eyes, "Can't...breathe...Ruth...stop...", I struggled to get out.

Just as I felt like I was about to die, the pressure was finally removed from my throat. I fell to the ground as I saw, through my blurry vision, some of the older boys including Malachai had tackled her to the ground and were tying her up. I felt Racheal shake my shoulders, asking me if I was alright but I was too out of it to respond.

Before I did pass out, I heard Issac's loud commanding voice in the distance. "Racheal, tend to Keturah and make sure she's not severely injured. Malachai, you and the others bring Ruth outside to the fields and leave her there with her limbs bound together. He shall deal with this traitorous wench", he said.

I woke up an hour later to the feeling of a cold cloth pressed against my forehead, I looked up and saw Racheal sitting near me with a relieved look on her face. "Oh Keturah, thank goodness you're alright. I was worried we almost lost you, but now you're safe", she said. I looked around the room in the house before I quickly realized something, "Wait...what happened to Ruth?", I asked.

Racheal suddenly adopted a sad betrayed expression, "Issac instructed the others to leave her out in the fields with her limbs bound, a while later her screams could be hear before they were suddenly silenced. Such as the fate of all who go against He Who Walks Behind the Rows, they are left out there at his mercy and he makes quick work of them. Issac also found out about you little secret", she said.

I felt my blood run cold, "He's not angry is he? Please, I swear I was going to tell him but He Who Walks Behind the Rows said I shouldn't until after I figured out who the traitor in my dreams was. I promise, I wasn't trying to usurp Issac either because I know he speaks with Him frequently", I said.

Racheal gave me a smile, "Don't fret, Issac knows and he isn't angry. He said you were blessed with a great gift and you used it to save our Lord, Issac understands that it must be overwhelming but he said you are adjusting well. Now get some rest, you've done well today and you need to rest if you want those bruises to heal", she said as she left.

I laid back down and tried to fall back asleep when I heard His voice in my head again. " ** _You have done well, my child. Now I can continue to watch over you all without fear of usurpers, and now that you completed this task for me, I no longer need to speak with you anymore. I shall return to only communicating with Issac_** ", he said as his voice faded away.

I called out to him in my mind but heard nothing, I guess he meant it when he said that this was the last time he'd talk to me. I laid there looking up at the ceiling, thinking about the events from earlier; half of me felt like a hero for having saved us from a fire that would've killed us all, but another part of me felt as though I've just done something horribly wrong that would only soon further seal our fates. "I really hope that I didn't just make the absolute biggest mistake of my life", I whispered as I rolled onto my side and fell asleep.

I didn't know why I was having these feelings of regret or why I was beginning to believe that Ruth might've had a valid point, but something tells me that this won't really be the last I see of He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

Author's Note: That ends Chapter 5 and Katherine has finally uncovered the identity of the traitor, or has she? Come back soon where we'll see why she was regretting her decisions. Until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out!


	6. Chapter 6

See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer

(This is where I change this story's rating to T because this chapter contains heavily implied adult themes such as rape).

Chapter 6: Nightmares and Hallucinations

I was up early the next morning, sitting atop an abandoned and moss-eaten car as I looked out towards other cornfield across the road. Last night I had revealed that Ruth was the one who planned on burning down the cornfields and killing us all and Issac had her sacrificed to He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Afterwards our god stopped talking to me, my guess is now that I've fulfilled my mission he no longer needed to keep talking to me.

All the same, I think I'd prefer it if my thoughts weren't being listened to by some strange deity. Now I went back to my slightly not as mundane life living in the cornfields with my new family. I was about to get off the car and head back to find Job and Sarah when I suddenly felt myself being pulled back onto its hood.

The force of the push my me knock the side of my head, I hadn't given myself a concussion but it sure did hurt! I looked up and found that my arms had been pinned down, I tried to pull them free but I gasped in shock as I saw a pair of bloody hands holding them in place. I looked before me and saw a girl completely covered in blood looking down at me with red bloodshot eyes; she was wheezing horribly and she grinded her teeth.

"W...who are you?", I asked fearfully. The girl leaned into my face and screamed, " _ **HE'S GOING TO DEVOUR YOU ALL!**_ " Suddenly my eyes flew open and I sat up, breathing heavily and clutching the area of my chest where my heart was. I saw that I was lying on the ground right next to the old car I was sitting on; I held my head as I felt a sting of pain in my right temple, "Ugh I guess I must've dozed off and fell off the car. What a scary dream that was, I hope it wasn't another vision", I said as I picked myself up and walked back.

I wasn't paying attention and I ended up bumping into Issac, "Oh forgive me, Issac. I wasn't really looking where I was going", I said. Issac smiled at me, "It's alright, Keturah. You had your head in the clouds, it happens to the best of us", he said. I was about to thank him when I saw something over his shoulder, it was the same blood covered girl I saw in my dream. Only this time she looked at me with a Cheshire Cat grin and shushed me before holding up a knife behind Issac's back.

"Issac, look out!", I said as I tackled the bloody girl to the ground. Just as I was about to punch her, I felt Issac place his hand on my shoulder. "Keturah, who are you talking to?", he asked. I looked back down and saw that no one was there, I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. _Where did she go?_ , I thought. I stood up and gave Issac an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Issac. I thought I saw someone standing behind you and I panicked, I thought you were going to be hurt", I said.

Issac smiled, "That's quite alright, at least your loyalty isn't in question. Go and enjoy to pleasant afternoon", he said before walking away. I turned around and walked towards my house, "I know I'm not crazy, I saw her! I felt her!", I said to myself. There was a girl covered in blood standing behind Issac and I'm sure she was going to cut him with a knife, but then she just vanished like a ninja.

Maybe I've been too stressed out lately and I just needed some time to unwind. I walked into the barn and saw Hannah sitting in a bed of hay, rubbing her large belly. I had almost forgotten that she was pregnant; I smiled as I approached her and sat down, "Hi Hannah, how are you doing?", I asked. "Oh I'm fine, Keturah. My child is coming along soon, I can't wait to meet him/her", she said.

I gently laid my hand on her stomach and rubbed it, feeling slightly movement from inside. "Well I can that he/she is definitely a kicker, I'm sure they'll do a great job of tending to the cornfields when their older", I said making Hannah smile. I continued to rub her belly when I saw it: a bloody hand come to rest next to mine; I looked up and saw the bloody girl again.

She continued to look at me with a smile so wide it'd make Jeff the Killer jealous...yes I know what creepypastas are, doesn't mean I believe they're real nor did I think they're scary, but that's not the point.

Right now this girl was back but this time I had questions. "Alright, just what the Hell are you anyways?", I asked. All she did was sneer at me and I was prepared for what she did next: she slammed both her hands into Hannah's stomach and ripped out her baby; I felt physically sick while Hannah's screams faded into the background.

The girl smirked and said, "He's going to devour you all!" before she swallowed the baby whole. I screamed as I felt a pair of arms shaking me, "Keturah! Keturah, wake up!" My eyes snapped open as I saw Hannah standing over me, next to her was her husband Joseph, he had been the one shaking me. "Are you okay, Keturah? Hannah said you started screaming in your sleep and she came to get me. Are feeling alright?", he said.

I smiled in relief and hugged Hannah suddenly, "Oh I'm so glad you and your baby are alright", I said. She looked at me confused, "Of course we're alright, it's not like we were in any danger. You dozed off while rubbing my belly", she said. I let go of her as I realized what she just said; I stood up and walked away, "I'll be in my house if anyone needs me", I said as I left. _What the heck is going on with me?_ , I thought. I knew that this wasn't normal, but I also knew that I couldn't just talk to someone about this.

I doubt anyone here would be able to tell me what was going on or how to deal with it. _Maybe I'm just tired and I need some sleep_ , I thought. In fact, now that I thought about it, a nap did sound kind of nice. I went upstairs and threw myself into my bed, closing my eyes and letting sleep take me. However, it didn't last long because there was a knock on my bedroom door and Malachai walked in.

He sat on the chair next to my bed and looked at me with concern, "Are you feeling okay? Joseph told me about what happen and...I think maybe what happened with Ruth is getting to you", he said. I sat up as I let his words sink in, maybe that was the problem...maybe, this cult was becoming too much for me...maybe I shouldn't have joined, but if I hadn't then I would've...I started crying.

"Malachai, I don't know what's happening! I'm really scared, I think I might be going crazy!", I sobbed. Malachai sat on the bed and pulled me into his arms, "Shh, it's okay. I love you, little sis and I promise I'll help you out with this, no matter what it takes", he said as he kissed my forehead. I still cried but my sobbing did calm down a bit, "T...thank you for understanding, Malachai", I said. "Of course I would", he said as he kissed my forehead again.

Then things started getting weird: Malachai then kissed my cheek and then he kissed me on the lips; it felt strange but at the same time, after all the crazy freakouts I've been having today, it felt good. It felt more right than wrong, if that made any sense. I could feel Malachai squeeze his tongue through my lips and begin exploring the inside of my mouth, I couldn't help myself...I moaned.

My cheeks flushed, either from embarrassment or from the warm feeling building up inside me, I didn't know which and for the moment I didn't care. Malachai pulled away from my mouth and began to kiss my neck, each one drawing a moan from me; I really couldn't help the way I was feeling or the noises I was making, I was twelve and the onset of puberty was already setting in. I did grow in bra size during the last two months, but for the most part I've repressed my hormones.

The way Malachai was touching me now felt so good but a part of me couldn't help but think that something was off about this. That thought evaporated when he pulled off my sweater, pulled down the top of my dress and began to lick along my pentagram scar. I shivered and writhed under his touch, a tingle shooting its way down my spine. "M...Malachai...what are...you doing?", I gasp as he unhooked my bra and began to suckle on my breasts.

"I'm helping you with your problem. Just relax and let me do this, let me show you just how much I love you", he said. I moaned and grasped the bedsheets as he continued to suckle my breasts, I was so confused but I didn't care because of how good it felt. I then began to feel a wetness in between my legs, I blushed again in embarrassment. "M...Malachai, I...I feel weird", I struggled to say. He just smiled as he stood up and began removing his clothes; once he was done, he pulled my dress and panties all the way down until I was naked too.

"Don't worry about it, you're in good hands", he said as he forced his member inside of me. I felt it hit a wall and that's when my mind started to process thoughts again: I'm a virgin and if this kept up...and I never said I wanted any of this...oh my god...he's not doing what I think he's doing. Before I could say anything, he pressed himself in further and I felt the wall of flesh inside me break apart; tears streamed down my face as I felt a searing pain, but as soon as he began to pump himself in and out of me, I felt an overwhelming pleasure bubble up over the pain.

I grabbed tightly onto his shoulders and he rocked back and forth, his member sliding in and out of me at a slow, steady pace. That's when I decided that wasn't good enough for me, "M...Malachai...go...faster...harder...please...", I moaned as he increased his speed. I cried out as a new kind of pleasure assaulted my lower body, this was like nothing I've ever felt before and even though this was completely unconsensual and wrong, I didn't care. All that matter to me was Malachai and his constant ramming on my insides.

Suddenly I felt something building up inside of me, like a dam overflowing with water about to burst. I didn't know what it was and it was beginning to scare me, "Malachai, I feel something building up in me. I don't know what it is...I'm scared", I said as I felt the pressure become more intense. Malachai planted another kiss on my lips, "It's okay. Just let it out, I know you want to", he said.

He then pumped even harder and faster than before, the pressure built up more and more until I couldn't take it anymore. I felt something hot, thick and wet explode into me as Malachai screamed out and then I felt that same thing explode out of me as I screamed out. I fell back onto the bed, breathing heavily and dripping in sweat; I couldn't see my face, but I'm pretty sure I was smiling a tired, lopsided smile after that.

I then heard the sound of wheezy, throaty laughter; I opened my eyes and to my horror, Malachai wasn't over me but instead there was a terrifying monster with loose pink fleshy skin, long claws, sharp teeth and red eyes. From behind it came the bloody girl from before; she sat behind me and held my arms down as the creature had my legs pinned by it heavy body; the girl looked me in the eyes as she smiled her evil toothy grin. "I hope you liked that, now He wants something from you!", she said.

With a nod from her, creature opened its mouth to reveal its three foot long tongue; I struggled to break free but their combined grip was too strong for me. The creature's tongue shot forward and buried itself into my chest, I screamed out in agony as blood leaked from my chest wound but that wasn't enough. I looked and saw something being withdrawn from my body and being pulled up its tongue and into its body; I began to feel tired and weak, "W...what are you...doing to me?", I croaked.

The bloody girl laughed as she wiped the blood off her face and revealed herself to be..."Ruth!", I shouted. Her smile turned to an evil sneer as she got into my face, "That's right! You spilt my blood, so in exchange... _ **I'll spill yours!",**_ she screamed. I then screamed and writhed in pain as I felt my blood being sucked out of me by this creature; I hazarded look downward and saw that the skin on my feet and legs was turning grey and wrinkled.

I recoiled in horror, this thing was literally sucking the life out of my and I couldn't do anything about it. Soon my stomach, chest and arms began to wrinkle and deflat, and I really felt weak. In fact it was becoming harder to breathe and I could barely keep my eyes open; as I felt the skin on my face begin to wrinkle and the blood drain from my head, Ruth looked my in the eyes with a look of betrayal.

"This is what awaits you at the end of the road you've decided to travel on. I tried to warn you of the danger but you let Issac fill you head with lies and let your own desires cloud your mind. Heed my words, Katherine, if you do not stop He Who Walks Behind the Rows before it's too late, then this is what'll will happen to you and everyone else. Malachai, Racheal, Job, Sarah: everyone you love will be feasted upon by this unholy demon from Hell and the cycle will continue for eternity", she said as the life faded from me.

I bolted upright as I panted heavily, I looked around my room and saw Malachai asleep in a chair next to my bed. My clothes were still on and my body didn't ache from sex or being drained of blood, it was just another nightmare; I quietly climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was messy and I had bags under my eyes, I looked like a wreck but I ignored it to think about what has been happening.

Ruth was the bloody girl this whole time and I don't know if she either came back as a ghost or my mind was somehow projecting a distorted image of her from my memories into reality, all I knew was she had been torturing me with these scary dreams and vivid hallucinations trying to warn me about He Who Walks Behind the Rows. I was beginning to assume that maybe she did have a point about this cult: if He Who Walks Behind the Rows was anything like the monster in the nightmare I just had, I definitely was not in the mood to be sacrificed to him once I turned nineteen.

I gasped in horror as I realized I got Ruth killed when all she was trying to do was protect me and the others; she was only trying to save us and I got her killed because I just wanted to feel like I had a real family again, but I was wrong. With the exceptions of Malachai, Racheal, Job and Sarah, this wasn't a family; this was a death camp where we offer ourselves up as tasty meals for a blood hungry demon. "Oh Ruth, I'm so sorry! I should've listened to you, you're...you were right about this. I have to stop this and save everyone, but how? How can I stop He Who Walks Behind the Rows and by extension Issac?", I said out loud.

I gasp in surprise as Ruth appeared before me again, "What you can do is burn down the cornfields, every last acre until nothing is left and this nightmare is over. Of course you can't do it alone, but not to worry, someone is coming soon. Someone who'll help you take down Issac, destroy He Who Walks Behind the Rows and save all of the children. I won't tell you who they are, just know they'll be of great help. But you must swear to keep this information to yourself! One little slip up and Issac will do to you what he did to me, got it!?", she said.

I nodded in agreement as she gave me a kind smile, "And just so you know, I forgive you. You're just a child and children are bound to make very dangerous and stupid decisions on a whim, like joining a cult that worships a demon in the cornfields for example. If you succeed, my soul will be free to rest in peace along with everyone else who was sacrificed", she said as she vanished. I stood up with a determined look on my face, tears of regret streaming from my eyes. "I promise you, Ruth. I'll make up for this, for everything. I'll make sure that demon never feeds off of anyone ever again", I said.

~Author's Note: Thats it for chapter 6, I hope you enjoyed it. Come back soon for chapter 7 where I introduce this new character that'll help Katherine save the children and destroy He Who Walks Behind the Rows forever as we approach the end of our story. Until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out!


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